PHC restrains KP govt from removing 194 MNCH employees

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday restrained the provincial government from possible removal of 194 employees of Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) till the next order.

A single bench of Justice Shakil Ahmad issued the stay order in a writ petition of the employees.

The court also issued notice to Secretary Health and Services Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, directing him to submit reply in the case.

The petition was filed by Seema Gul and others through their lawyer Sahibzada Asadullah.

During arguments, Sahibzada Asadullah submitted that the petitioners are serving on contract basis in the Maternal Newborn and Child Health.

He submitted that the government is now going to remove the petitioners from the job. He informed that under the policy, the petitioners should be regularised rather to be removed from service.

The lawyer argued that the petitioners are working with the organisation for several years.

Currently, he informed the court that the government was going to remove the employees for adjusting their own persons on their posts.

He requested the court to stay the possible removal of the petitioners. The court issued the stay order and directed Secretary Health to submit reply in the writ petition.

CM says BRT to complete in March 2019: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Thursday set the deadline for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and said the project would be completed by March 2019.

He was talking to journalists during his visit to the KP Food Authority. When reminded that another deadline was given by Minister for Local Government Shahram Khan Tarakai who had said that the BRT would be completed by June 2019, the chief minister said that before coming to the Food Authority’s function, he had chaired a meeting related to the BRT and strictly directed them to complete civil work on the project and insisted to open it for public in March 2019. To a question about differences in the PTI government in KP, he dispelled the impression and said he had good ties with all the cabinet members.

Regarding the elections in the newly merged seven tribal districts, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said he had discussed it with PM Imran Khan and soon elections would be conducted in the erstwhile Fata. He said some of the portfolios in the provincial cabinet had been reserved for the elected representatives of the seven tribal districts and some other would surrender portfolios for them as well.